Inventors are entitled under the U.S. Constitution and various International Treaties to protection of their invention. A Letters Patent describes the invention, the scope of legal protection granted, and other information useful to those seeking to avoid infringement of the patent or obtain patent protection for improvements to the invention. How to read an issued patent and published patent application will be covered. The various sections of the patent and the role of each section in delineating rights and defining the scope of invention will be discussed. Particular attention will be paid to how to read and understand the information on the first sheet of a patent, such as the various dates, entities, and documents listed, as well as the background, summary, figures, detailed description and claim sections. Time will be allotted for questions from participants.

How to read a patent

249th National Meeting (2015)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.